Monday, March 25, 2013

Writing the Synopsis: Part 1

In the writing world, writing the synopsis definitely gets a bad rap. Last month I asked you what you thought of when I mentioned writing a synopsis. Here's what you said: 

A roadmap
Challenging
Work
Shudder
Chills
Dread
No words, just a drawn out groan, Ugh
Stuffing my head under the pillow and crying
Death
The Black Plague

So over the next few weeks, I want to demystify the process so that you're less afraid of it. Is the bunny picture helping? 

So why is writing a synopsis tough? On his blog, Randy Ingermanson gave this explanation:

I’ll tell you why it’s hard. Because you just spent years of your life writing a novel, learning the craft of writing fiction, learning about Three Act Structure and Scenes and Sequels and MRUs and how to Show it, not Tell it, getting inside each POV character’s head in third person past tense, double-spaced and now . . . 
Now somebody changed the rules on you. All the rules.

Randy's right. The rules are different, but they're actually pretty clear cut. We don't have to be afraid of writing the synopsis, we just have to learn the new rules.

So that's what we're going to look at in the next few posts. 

So what is a synopsis? It's simply a tool we use to tell someone about our story in a few pages. As simple as that. 

So what's the toughest part about writing a synopsis for you?

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5 
The Ten Step Synopsis

22 comments:

  1. Writing as synopsis for me is like pulling a tooth with a wrench, and I'm a firm believer that someone else besides the author should read the book, then write the synopsis. I've written one to submit with a proposal for a trilogy to my publisher (which they bought) Now, as the good panster I am, it's been incredibly hard to stick to it.

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    1. Maybe we need a series on how to write the synopsis and another series on how to stick to the synopsis :) Thanks for the comment.

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  2. I think for me its narrowing down everything I love into a small space. Probably choosing the right words to describe the story.

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    1. Yes. That can definitely be tough. We'll cover how to decide what to put in and what to leave out.

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  3. Awesome, I'm glad you're tackling this topic. I think for me the toughest part is sifting through all the details and just telling the main plot. I always think to myself, "but they need to know this in order for that to make sense and I can't leave THAT out because blah blah blah..." Just sticking to that main story thread is difficult for me. :)

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    1. It can be overwhelming, but it's also a good exercise in taking a good look at the structure of our stories.

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  4. Synopsis writing is very humbling for me, lol. I want to explain the subplots and the character nuances, but there's no room for that. I'm always afraid that I left out a very important fact of the story. I look forward to you tackling this part of the writing process!

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    1. Thanks, Brandy. It's so difficult to leave those things around, but we'll talk about some of the ways to sneak in the character nuances.

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  5. That's it in a nutshell!

    I think the hardest part is trying to make it sound interesting without adding too much detail.

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    1. I think we all look at our synopses and think they sound too simplistic, but clarity rules when it comes to writing the synopsis.

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  6. This is so good! And I love the bunny. :0)

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    1. :) Thanks, Susan. I was trying to come up with an image that would be completely intimidating.

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  7. Figuring out what details to include and what not to include!

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  8. The worst part, in my opinion, is condensing 50,000-70,000 words into a page or two. You write, you edit, you cut, expand, rewrite, and condense your story so that everything moves it forward and nothing just stalls out terribly. But then, the synopsis is ultra condensed and it's just difficult deciding what to include.

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    1. Yes. It's a challenge. Hopefully I'll be able to provide you with some tips on what to include.

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  9. Great subject! Looking forward to your posts.

    For me, the hard part is keeping it to the main points of the story, and making it sound interesting - all in one.

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  10. Knocking everything out that isn't main plot. I tend to want to tell every detail. :)

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    1. It's tough to leave stuff out - especially stuff that we love. :)

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  11. Oooh, this is so appropriate because I'm working on a synopsis right now. Yeah, they're hard! Especially after you've just spent over 300 pages telling something you now have to sum up in one page. My trick this time? I'm writing the synopsis BEFORE I write the story. We'll see if it makes it easier :)

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  12. Smashing the entire story down to a few pages.

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